Written Answers Monday 29 October 2007

Scottish Executive

Access for People with Disabilities

Hugh O'Donnell (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to facilitate an increase in attendance by disabled people at cultural events.

Linda Fabiani: The Scottish Arts Council, Scottish Screen and the National Collections, like other public bodies, are under a legal duty to promote disability equality and, following a duty placed on them by the Scottish Government in December 2005, all have published disability equality schemes setting out how they are meeting this duty.

  We have asked the Scottish Arts Council, Scottish Screen and the National Collections to commit to providing full and equal access for disabled people to the range of cultural events which they support. Their day-to-day practices generally reflect this commitment and are consistent with the disability equality schemes which they now have in place.

Access for People with Disabilities

Bill Kidd (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what provisions are made to ensure that young people with physical disabilities receive comprehensive information at the point of diagnosis about their condition and the health and social care services available.

Shona Robison: In a patient-centred NHS we would expect people diagnosed with a physical disability to receive services tailored to their individual needs and to receive information about their condition and the health and social care services available to them which is accessible and appropriate.

  Achieving Fair Access, our national guidance on improving access and removing the barriers which disabled people experience when they use NHS services, was published by Fair for All – Disability in April. It brings together good advice from a wide range of sources and gives details of publications and useful organisations which staff can follow up when they need to provide patients with more detailed information. The guidance will continue to be developed to reflect the growing practical experience of staff and when new policies are introduced. The guidance can be accessed at: http://www.healthscotland.com/uploads/documents/4683-Achieving%20Fair%20Access%20guidance.pdf.

Access for People with Disabilities

Bill Kidd (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether services for young adults with physical disabilities can be differentiated from those for other adults with physical disabilities to ensure that they are accessible and appropriate to their needs.

Shona Robison: NHS Scotland is committed to delivering patient-centred services and, as such, a young person diagnosed with a physical disability should be provided with accessible services which are appropriate to their individual needs.

  Additionally, the Children and Young People’s Health Support Group will carry out a review of services for children and young people with physical disabilities in its 2008 work programme.

Alcohol Misuse

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people convicted of offences linked to alcohol misuse have been sentenced to six months or less in prison in (a) 2005, (b) 2006 and (c) 2007.

Kenny MacAskill: The available information is given in the following table. Data for 2006-07 is due to be published in March 2008.

  Persons Receiving a Custodial Sentence of Six Months or Less for Drink-Related Offences1,2, 2003-04 to 2005-06

  


2003-04
2004-05
2005-06


6 months or less
212
204
169



  Notes:

  1. Where main offence.

  2. Includes drunkenness, drink driving and consumption of alcohol in designated areas offences.

Apprenticeships

John Park (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it will put in place other than extending modern apprenticeships to SVQ level 2, as referred to by the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning on 12 September 2007 ( Official Report c. 1589), to help the retention of those undertaking modern apprenticeships.

Maureen Watt: The delivery of a successful modern apprenticeship programme will be the responsibility of the new skills body and it will be for them to establish effective mechanisms to help the retention of individuals undertaking a modern apprenticeship. However, the completion rate within Scotland is already well above comparable measures within the rest of the UK and the new skills body will be well placed to build on this success.

Apprenticeships

John Park (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to help the progression of modern apprentices to other qualifications, as referred to by the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning on 12 September 2007 ( Official Report  c. 1589).

Maureen Watt: The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) will be embedded in all modern apprentices programmes so that apprentices can gain credit for the skills gained which can then be transferred to further study or training.

  The SCQF provides a framework for both learners and training providers to understand the range of Scottish qualifications and how they compare to each other and through the transfer of credit allows learners greater flexibility to move from one sector of learning to another. This will help to support progression for apprentices to other qualifications.

Apprenticeships

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) men and (b) women are in modern apprenticeships, also broken down into (i) age and (ii) occupation.

Maureen Watt: The number of modern apprentices (MA) broken down by gender, age and occupational area is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. This information is not held centrally.

  However, Scottish Enterprise have published MA figures for males and females in the top 12 frameworks since 1998-99, as well as the gender split for each framework by age groups 16 to 24 and over 25s for the year ending 31 March 2005.

  These tables are available on the Scottish Enterprise website: www.scottish-enterprise.com/sedotcom_home/training-providers-top/training-providers/performance-and-reports.htm?siblingtoggle=1.

Apprenticeships

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what actual amount of money the Scottish Government has provided to each modern apprenticeship framework, broken down by age, in each year for which information is available.

Maureen Watt: The cost of each modern apprentices framework is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. This information is not held centrally.

Class Sizes

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what impact it believes planned class size reductions in primary 1 to primary 3 will have on parental choice.

Maureen Watt: Parental rights with regard to choice of school are set out in statute. Smaller class sizes are also important to parents. The local operation and management of both issues are matters for education authorities.

Dog Fouling (Scotland) Act 2003

Jackson Carlaw (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many fixed penalty notices have been issued (a) nationally and (b) in each local authority area since the Dog Fouling (Scotland) Act 2003 came into force.

Kenny MacAskill: This information is not held centrally but with the individual local authorities.

Health

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many bone density scanners are currently in operation in NHS Scotland, broken down by NHS board area.

Shona Robison: This information is not held centrally.

Health

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time is for a bone density scan, broken down by NHS board area.

Shona Robison: The information requested is not available centrally.

  Specific coding which permits the identification of bone density scans has only recently been introduced. Therefore, it is not currently possible to provide a waiting times analysis, however it will be available in the future.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what evaluation is undertaken to ensure that people receiving care in their own homes are given the appropriate level of care and support to meet their needs.

Shona Robison: Local authorities are responsible for co-ordinating the assessment of the care needs of people living in their own homes and ensuring, with their local partners, that appropriate provision is made to meet those needs.

  The Care Commission regulates agencies which provide care to people in their own homes, taking account of the National Care Standards for Care at Home.

  In addition, the Social Work Inspection Agency (SWIA) has a programme for inspecting social work services delivered by local authorities across Scotland by early 2009. These inspections will include consideration of the quality and provision of care at home services.

Housing

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many home owners have received a rural home ownership grant in each of the last three years, broken down by local authority area.

Stewart Maxwell: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:

  Over the past three years a total of 292 home owners have received rural home ownership grants (RHOG). The following table breaks this down by local authority area.

  RHOG Approvals by Local Authority

  

Local Authority
2004-05
2005-06
2006-07


Aberdeenshire
1
1
1


Argyll and Bute
9
6
8


Highland
42
32
29


Orkney
37
36
40


Perth and Kinross
18
1
1


Shetland
4
4
3


The Scottish Borders
5
5
2


Western Islands
2
2
3


Scotland Total
118
87
87

Housing

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many purchasers of new or existing properties not requiring improvement have received financial assistance through the rural home ownership grant scheme in each of the last three years.

Stewart Maxwell: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:

  Over the last three years, 170 purchasers of new or existing properties not requiring improvement have been given financial assistance through rural home ownership grant. The annual breakdown is: in 2004-05 there were 63, in 2005-06 there were 55 and in 2006-07 there were 52.

Housing

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many homeowners have received a rural home ownership grant on the basis of (a) restricted ownership and (b) access in each of the last three years.

Stewart Maxwell: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows.

  The concept of restricted ownership does not form part of the scope of the rural home ownership grant scheme.

  The scheme does deal with restricted opportunity and restricted access and the grants allocated under each of these categories were as follows:

  

 
Restricted Opportunities
Restricted Access
Total RHOGs


2004-05
2005-06
2006-07
2004-05
2005-06
2006-07
2004-05
2005-06
2006-07


Total
80
60
71
59
32
20
118
87
87

Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005

Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to publish the final regulations required by the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005.

Kenny MacAskill: Twenty sets of regulations and orders have already been made under the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005. The final Commencement Order for the act was made on 18 October. Following recent consultations, further regulations on fees and defining relevant offences will be made shortly in good time to ensure the successful operation of the act once the transition period starts on 1 February 2008. Officials will continue to keep stakeholders informed of progress through implementation updates, the most recent of which was issued on 10 October 2007.

Mental Health

Angela Constance (Livingston) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what services are available for women with mental health problems who have offended or are at risk of offending and live in West Lothian.

Angela Constance (Livingston) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many in-patient beds are available for women with mental health problems who have offended or are at risk of offending and live in West Lothian.

Angela Constance (Livingston) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive where in-patient services are located for women with mental health problems who have offended or are at risk of offending and live in West Lothian.

Angela Constance (Livingston) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what aftercare services exist for women with mental health and offending behaviour problems who live in West Lothian.

Angela Constance (Livingston) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what support exists for the named persons, parents, primary carers, partners and children of women with mental health problems who live in West Lothian.

Shona Robison: I understand that West Lothian Council works in collaboration with NHS Lothian to provide a range of social care services for people with mental health problems and also their carers. Social Work and Mental Health Services provide support for named persons, parents, primary carers, partners and children of women with mental health problems on an "as required" basis, meeting statutory and legislative requirements.

  NHS Lothian have told me that women in West Lothian with mental health problems have access to a range of general psychiatry in-patient and out-patient facilities. Women with mental health and offending mental health behaviour problems have access to assertive outreach, community day and out-patient care services across West Lothian. I understand that there are no specialist mental health beds in West Lothian for women who have offended or are at risk of offending. Depending on the individual risk assessments, patients may be admitted to an intensive psychiatric care unit or to a general psychiatry ward. Where appropriate, women offenders can be referred to the Forensic Psychiatry Service at the Orchard Clinic in the Royal Edinburgh Hospital which provides acute psychiatric and mental health services.

Older People

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what is being done to ensure that care home residents with dementia receive care and treatment appropriate to their needs, given that Alzheimer Scotland’s report, T he Dementia Epidemic , estimates that 4,327 people with dementia in care homes are not medically diagnosed.

Shona Robison: The National Care Standards aim to ensure that all residents in care homes receive personalised care appropriate to their individual needs. As part of this, it is vital that care home residents have appropriate access to NHS diagnosis and treatment.

  I have met Alzheimer Scotland to discuss its report and confirmed that we will make the needs of people with dementia a national priority. We are discussing with relevant stakeholders arrangements for taking this forward.

Older People

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that all staff caring for older people are trained in dementia care.

Shona Robison: NHS Quality Improvement Scotland have in development a set of standards for integrated care pathways for dementia. These will be published in December and accredited thereafter. These standards will help identify what training needs there are for staff in implementing the standards and in delivering planned care.

  The Scottish Government is currently funding a dementia improvement programme with NHS Forth Valley and the Dementia Services Development Centre to explore ways of better managing the care of people with dementia. The programme will be evaluated in 2008.

  We also provide direct grant support to the Dementia Services Development Centre for its work, including disseminating good practice and training material to NHS and social care staff working with people with dementia.

Older People

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding will be provided for the implementation of HDL (2007) 13 - Delivery framework for adult rehabilitation: prevention of falls in older people, broken down by NHS board area.

Shona Robison: The Scottish Government has allocated funding to support the appointment of rehabilitation co-ordinators, for each health board area, for a period of two years. These posts are likely to be introduced later in the year and £10,000 per NHS board has been allocated this year for this purpose. Subsequent funding will be subject to the current Spending Review.

  No specific funding was allocated towards the costs of implementing the falls prevention aspects of HDL (2007) 13. Research identified by the Falls Working Group indicated that up to 30% of falls amongst older people living in the community could be prevented through appropriate multidisciplinary assessment, with associated cost savings for local health services.

Older People

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) timescale and (b) cost would be of appointing a falls prevention lead or co-ordinator to work alongside the rehabilitation co-ordinator within community health partnerships, as set out in HDL (2007) 13 - Delivery framework for adult rehabilitation: prevention of falls in older people.

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) timescale and (b) cost would be of developing an operational combined falls prevention and bone health implementation strategy within community health partnerships, as set out in HDL (2007) 13 - Delivery framework for adult rehabilitation: prevention of falls in older people.

Shona Robison: Health department letter HDL (2007) 13 asks all health boards to take the lead in developing a combined falls prevention and bone health strategy by the end of 2007-08, under which Community Health Partnerships can establish operational implementation strategies to be led by a falls prevention lead or co-ordinator. The letter acknowledged that actual timescales would depend on current falls prevention activity within each area. The Scottish Government will monitor progress towards the end of 2007-08.

  No financial estimates have been made for the costs of preparing falls prevention strategies or appointing falls prevention leads or co-ordinators. This is a matter for local health boards and Community Health Partnerships. A reduction in preventable falls should provide cost savings for health services.

Older People

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made by NHS boards in developing a combined falls and bone health strategy.

Shona Robison: Health department letter HDL (2007) 13, issued on 21 February 2007, asked all health boards to develop a combined falls prevention and bone health strategy by the end of 2007-08. The Scottish Government will monitor progress towards the end of 2007-08.

Ophthalmic Services

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many NHS sight tests and eye examinations were carried out in the NHS Tayside area in 2006.

Shona Robison: The number of NHS Sight tests-Eye examinations carried out in the NHS Tayside area in the calendar year to December 2006 was 113,982.

Osteoporosis

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the projected increase is in the incidence of (a) osteoporosis and (b) hip fractures among (i) the total population, (ii) people under 65 and (iii) people aged 65 or over for each year until 2025, broken down by NHS board area.

Shona Robison: The requested information is not available centrally.

Osteoporosis

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost was to the NHS of treating (a) osteoporosis and (b) hip fracture in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board.

Shona Robison: Information on the cost of treating specific clinical conditions is not available centrally.

  Total running costs for the acute surgical specialty of orthopaedics (where the majority of hospital-based treatment for hip fracture takes place) are published at NHS board level in the Scottish Health Service Costs (Costs Book) at: http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/costs-book-detailed-tables.jsp?pContentID=3583.

  Only a proportion of the work undertaken within the orthopaedic specialty will be related to hip fracture.

Osteoporosis

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many osteoporotic fractures there were, also expressed as a percentage of all fractures, and what the cost was of treating such fractures in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board area.

Shona Robison: Information on the cost of treating specific clinical conditions is not available centrally.

  Total running costs for the acute surgical specialty of orthopaedics (where much of the hospital-based treatment for fractures takes place) are published in the Scottish Health Service Costs (Costs Book) at http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/costs-book-detailed-tables.jsp?pContentID=3583.

  Only a proportion of the work undertaken within the orthopaedic specialty will be related to fractures.

  The information requested is given in table number 1, which shows the total number of fractures and osteoporotic fractures, and the percentage of all fractures that are osteoporotic for each NHS board since 1999, a copy of which is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 43898).

Osteoporosis

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the mortality rate from the after effects of osteoporotic fractures was in each year since 1999, also broken down by gender and NHS board area.

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the mortality rate from the after effects of osteoporotic fractures is projected to be in each year to 2025, also broken down by gender and NHS board area.

Shona Robison: This information is not held centrally.

Physical Education

Jim Tolson (Dunfermline West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are plans to increase the amount of physical education in schools.

Maureen Watt: Schools are working towards achieving two hours PE. The Scottish Government is clear that learning through quality physical education and physical activity makes an important contribution to young people’s development, both in promoting their health and wellbeing and enabling sporting success. Physical education will be an important element of the outcomes for health and wellbeing which are being drafted as part of the work on Curriculum for Excellence. However, the curriculum is not based on statute and it will be up to local authorities and schools to decide how they take forward the outcomes.

Police

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will meet representatives of Grampian Police Board to discuss funding issues.

Kenny MacAskill: I met with representatives of Grampian Police Board on 10 October 2007 and my officials met with the Convener of Grampian Police Board on 16 October. In addition, I met with representatives of all eight police authorities on 22 October, including the Convener of Grampian Police Board. Police funding issues were discussed at all three of these meetings.

Police

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will conclude its deliberations in respect of additional funding for police forces for special additional duties.

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what activities will be considered to be special additional duties when it reviews police funding arrangements for such activities.

Kenny MacAskill: We are in regular contact with the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (ACPOS) about new and emerging police funding pressures which could not normally be expected to be absorbed into the general funding available to forces. These are considered on a case-by-case basis in consultation with ACPOS.

Police

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what its definition is of "equivalent" in respect of its pledge to create "the equivalent of 1,000 additional police officers", as set out in Principles and Priorities: The Government’s Programme for Scotland .

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive with reference to Principles and Priorities: The Government’s Programme for Scotland , whether it considers there to be a difference between an "equivalent" police officer and a police officer and, if so, how the level of service provided by a police officer compares with that of an equivalent.

Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government’s commitment is not about headline figures or counting heads – that, in itself, will not make our communities safer; it’s about getting the best out of the police service. Our aim is to ensure a more visible policing presence in Scotland’s communities.

Police

Hugh Henry (Paisley South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there will be 1,000 more police officers in employment by May 2011 than were in employment in May 2007.

Hugh Henry (Paisley South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the target is for the minimum number of police officers to be employed by May 2011.

Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government has not set a numerical target for the number of police officers that forces should employ.

Police

Jackson Carlaw (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-4664 by Kenny MacAskill on 17 October 2007, how many police officers there have been in each division of Strathclyde Police in each year since 1979, shown on a (a) head count and (b) whole-time equivalent basis over the entire period.

Kenny MacAskill: This information is not held centrally.

Pre-School Education

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many General Teaching Council for Scotland registered teachers will be required in Dundee to implement the 2007 SNP manifesto commitment to provide access to a fully qualified teacher for every nursery child.

Adam Ingram: No estimate has been made of the number of teachers required in individual local authority areas. The latest statistics show that almost 63% of pre-school education centres in Dundee have at least one General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) registered member of staff. The figures vary between types of provider. On purely numerical grounds, approximately 34 centres do not employ a teacher. However, children in some of these centres may have access to a teacher by other means such as a peripatetic teacher visiting on a regular basis or some other flexible teaching support service.

Pre-School Education

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated cost is in Dundee of fulfilling the 2007 SNP manifesto commitment to provide access to a fully qualified teacher for every nursery child.

Adam Ingram: No estimate of costs have been made for individual local authority areas. The overall cost of implementing this and other commitments is the subject of discussion with local government as part of negotiations on outcome agreements.

Pre-School Education

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many General Teaching Council for Scotland registered teachers will be required in Angus to implement the 2007 SNP manifesto commitment to provide access to a fully qualified teacher for every nursery child.

Adam Ingram: No estimate has been made of the number of teachers required in individual local authority areas. The latest statistics show that around 48% of pre-school education centres in Angus have at least one General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) registered member of staff. The figures vary between types of provider. On purely numerical grounds, approximately 63 centres do not employ a teacher. However, children in some of these centres may have access to a teacher by other means such as a peripatetic teacher visiting on a regular basis or some other flexible teaching support service.

Pre-School Education

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated cost is in Angus of fulfilling the 2007 SNP manifesto commitment to provide access to a fully qualified teacher for every nursery child.

Adam Ingram: No estimate of costs have been made for individual local authority areas. The overall cost of implementing this and other commitments is the subject of discussion with local government as part of negotiations on outcome agreements.

School Meals

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many pupils in primary 1 to primary 3 in each school in Glasgow were entitled to free school meals in (a) September 2006 and (b) September 2007.

Adam Ingram: We do not hold this information centrally. The most recent school meals data is available on the Scottish Executive website at:  www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/School-Education/SchMeals2007.

School Meals

Margaret Mitchell (Central Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) dining hall capacity and (b) maximum number of daily lunches that can be provided by school kitchens is in each local authority school in South Lanarkshire.

Adam Ingram: We do not hold this information centrally.

Schools

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it believes that local authority policies on the admission of pupils to primary 1 should take account of the school attended by older brothers or sisters.

Maureen Watt: Local authorities are rightly responsible for setting their own schools admission policies, which can take account of whether a school is attended by a pupil’s sibling.

Schools

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the First Minister met councillors from the City of Edinburgh Council on 2 September 2007 to discuss proposed school closures.

Maureen Watt: The First Minister had no official engagements on that day.

Schools

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Cabinet Secretary for Justice met councillors from the City of Edinburgh Council on 2 September 2007 to discuss proposed school closures.

Maureen Watt: The Cabinet Secretary for Justice had no official engagements on that day.

Sport

Jim Tolson (Dunfermline West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how much money has been made available for sports in primary schools in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority.

Jim Tolson (Dunfermline West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how much money has been made available for sports in secondary schools in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority.

Maureen Watt: Funding is made available to local authorities through a range of sources. This includes the block grant to each local authority and the National Priorities Action Fund which provides £12 million in total for funding of out of school learning (which can include provision of sport). Local authorities will make their own decisions on allocations across primary and secondary schools based on their priorities and needs. Due to the nature of the funding and the range of activities it is not possible to provide the breakdown that is sought.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Parliamentary Expenses

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what the average cost is of lodging a motion.

Alex Fergusson: A broad estimate has been made of the cost in staff time of processing motions, and on this basis the average cost of a motion is £27.80.